Securing device for the connecting strips of automobiles



G. H. PRIGAN. SECURING DEVICE FOR THE CONNECTING STRIPS OF APPLICATION min own, 1920. 1,425,691.

AUTOMOBILES.

Patented Aug. 15, 1922.

INVENTOR.

A. A T TORNE Y.

TENTvi: i

cruszt'nvn H. PRIGAN, or BURNS, IMONTANA', AssIGnonor. onn 'rninn'ronnwann H. FULLER AND ONE-THIRD TOARTHUB, WHITE, BOTH ,orBUnN's, MONTANA."

SECURING nnvron For THE ,oonnno'rine sirnfrs orinurroivioiarLnse v Application filed December T0 allwhomitmaycmwem: I

Be it known that I, GUs'rAvn H. PRIQAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Burns, in the county of Richland and State of Montana, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Securing Devices for the Connecting Strips of Automobiles,

of which the following is a specification, 'ref- I erence being bad to the accompanying drawings. f p I 1 This invention relates "to securing devices for the connecting or padding strips of auto- As is well known to those familiar with the art, the usual automobile top of the fold-v able type is supported by a plurality'of in vertcd U-shaped members usually designate and into the'bows,anddue to the strain to] ed as bows, and these lJ shaped members are connected at the bends, "connecting the arms and the bows of the U by padding strips extending longitudinally of the bight portion and serving thejpurpose of properly spacing the bows and of supporting the bend of the fabric cover properly. These strips are generally secured to the, bows'b'y means of. tacks or nails driven through the strips which the bows are subjected both when the top is extended and when the top is in the folded position, the heads of these nails often work through the cloth of the strip permitting the strip to work loose and sag and cause the top to present an unsightly appearance. 7

An important object of the invention is to provide a simple and efiicient attaching member for these strips whereby to prevent their working loose from the bows and to this end the invention consists broadly in a plate bent to conform to the curvature of the bow at the point of application of the strip thereto, and prov ding upon its inner surface piercing points adapted to extend through the strip and into'the bow, the plate being provided with suitable means whereby it may be attached to the bow.

A further object of the invention is to provide a device of this character which may be readily formed from a single strip of sheet metal, thereby providing a device which is economical and simple in its manufacture.

Other objects and advantages of the in- Specification of Letters Patent. A g; 15

27,1920. swa m, 433,36

"gated-strip providedhponits sides 7 l preferably-at theends thereof,iwith-traits}, c

adapted to vbe folded upon a line indicated ve'ntion will become apparentfthrougliout the course ofthe followingdescriptionz'" In the accompanyingdrawings," wherein i for the" purposeof illustration shown a "preferred embodiment of my invention, and

like parts throughout:

wherein like reference characters designate 1 1 Figure 1 1s a fragmentary side elevation,

partly in section, oflthe automobile bow' and connecting strip having myhfastening'devlc'e appl edthereto;

F r'e2 is a plan view of ablank being bent to conform to the curvature.oft-1,,

illustrating in dotted lines theimethodbf jfolding the-blank to 'applythebow i I ZFigure 3 is a side elevation the v Figure 4; is. a longitudinal seeuonarviea" taken througha' bow'andstrip havingtmy fastener, applied thereto, and

i Figur' 5 is a section taken o of Figure 4. a

' drawings,fthe v numeral 10' indicat" versely extending :fiapsj or ears 11 which "are at 12, to occupy a position at rightangle's the line s -s c v 117. Referringnow more particularly ftothe'i 11 are provided therein with openings; 13' I adapted for the reception of an, attaching meanswhereby thestrip lQma'y be secured v to the bow B of the automobile top;- As is 1 well known to those familiar'withthe art}? thebow B is usually provided at the bends metal which surround the bow "to "prevent 1" breakage ofthe wood of the bow at thebend thereof with protector strips]? formed of These protector strips have the adjacent ends P thereof spacedat the, outer face of the bow so as to provide a portion where the wood'is exposed and in which securing'ele-'" ments'smay be "driven. In the e'xp.os'edsurface of the wood the tangs15 will engage.

The body portion is cut at points space 1100 triangle, as "indicated at ltand bent upon 7 I the third side to form tangs-ornpiercing pointsflo, which piercingpoints 15 are adapted to extendthrough the padding strip;

H j In shippingmy device, the strips are prefy longitudinally thereof on. two sides "of a 16 and into the bow 'B.

erably left flat, as indicated in Figures 2 and'3, and in application these strips are bent to conform to the curvature of the bow to which they are tobe applied, and the ears 11 subsequently bent'downwardly, as indicated by the dotted lines in Figure 3 to engage the sides ofthe bow and some suitable attaching means are employed for holding these ears in relation to the bow, as for example a screw or bolt 17. Itwill of course be understood that the attaching member will be made invvarious sizes and lengths to accommodate the various sizes of bows and strips employed by the manufacturers of the automobile and carriage tops, it being understood that the strips must be of a greater length than the transverse width of the padding strips. I I

From the foregoing it will be obvious that have devised anfattaching means for the connecting strips of automobile. top bows which is simple in construction and economical; to :rnanufacture;v and it will likewise be obvious that [the construction, of, the same as hereinbefore set forth is capable of some change without materially departing from the spirit of my invention. 1, accordingly,

do not limit myself to the-specificconstruction as'hereinbeforeset fortlnexcept as so limited by the sub-joined claims.

What I claim is Y 1. c In combination with a top supporting bow and a padding strip therefor, an ati taching member, comprising an elongated body port-ion provided upon one face with plurality of integrally attached tangs 6X- tendingithrough the strip and engaging in the bow, and means. on the ends of said body. portion securing, said body portion to the sides of the bow at the sides of the padding strip.

2; In combination with a top supporting bow and a padding strip therefor, an attaching member comprising an elongated body portion'provided upon one face with strip and engaging in the upperface of the bow, said body portion extending transversely of the strip and longitudinally of the bow, and means for securing said body portion to the sides of the bow comprising ears formedion the ends of said body portion: and engaging the sides of the bow and provided a plurality of tangsextending through the with openings adapted for the reception of a securing, medium.

with a substantially U-shaped topsupporting bow extending transversely of the top and engaged at the bends thereof by padding strips extending longitudinally ofthe top, .of attaching members forgsaid. padding strips each comprising an elongated body portion provided upon one face with a pluralitv of inte rall attached tan s extendin .1 b b eU'srAvn H. Persian.

, I 5 3. In an automobile top the combination 

